The Kingdom of Dawi
Demonym: Dawi Amidst the Halfast Mountains is found the dwarven civilization, the Kingdom of Dawi, or called the Dawi. These dwarves are the descendants from humanoids found on the land after its creation. The Kingdom has existed formally since just before the humans arrival in Merethyl. The Kingdom is run by the bloodlines of the Drel clan. The "Horned Throne" as it's called is housed in the Citadel of the Kingdom, Torlif. The mountains are home to stone laced with adamantium, a powerful and malleable metal that is rare among the continents of Sefyll, the Dawi being the greatest producer. Other than the smithing of adamantium, the Dawi raise Tyraeli mountain cattle which are more woolly than the Tyraeli beef cattle, the cattle found in the Hinterlands and Fircrest Forest. Tyraeli cattle are known for their horns, which are highly used by both the Dawi and the Yazaka soldiers. The Dawi have bloodlines that run deep and are greatly intertwined. Clans are less important as they are in the dwarven nations of Merethyl. The Dawi are an ancient people, but are not the powerhouse that they used to be. The Dawi controlled the whole of south Tyrael for years. Historically, they often skirmished with the Hinterlandfolk and the Sylenorians, wielding their might over all who opposed them. However, since the Munil broke off from the Dawi and the War of the Hinterlands (see History, ''Yazak and ''History, Kor Durz), the Kingdom of Dawi is a nation in decline. The mountains are the Gods of the Dawi. These dwarves revere, love, respect, and a strong identity from their mountain home. The Dawi however, worship the 6 major peaks of the Halfast Mountains, Dralkef, Hurfal, Lobaj, Iuvvencolis, Yulta, and Saan. These are called colloquially as The Brotherhood when referring to the Gods. The mountains each stand for varying domains and Dwarves identify with their home mountain as well as those under the domains they feel are part of them. The seasons experienced in the mountains are simply Winter and Summer. The Dawi have two great festival celebrations for the beginning of each season, marked by the first freeze of the Sund River in the valley near Torlif and it's thawing. Each is cultural as well as a spiritual celebration, praising the Gods and ushering in a fruitful season of continued prosperity. '''Wellwinter/Wellsummer: '''The festival for Winter is called Wellwinter and is a hope of great snows to feed the earth come summertime. It's characterized by the building of great stone towers for each city and town as well as a feast of the last of non-storageable foods before winter sets in. The people all gather together to build a great tower in an attempt to make it last the whole winter without collapsing. The tower may only be made from the stacking of stones, no other materials. If the tower stays up for all of winter, then it serves as a symbol of the ingenuity of the townspeople. If the tower falls it is celebrated as well in that the storms of winter have been fierce enough and have brought enough snow to feed the rivers for summer. The town of Stonecave on the north side of Ievvencolis boasts the longest record for towers unfallen at 37 years. The Summer festival is called Wellsummer. It's started when the wooden tower in the middle of the frozen Sund River falls through the melting ice. The tower is placed on the ice to look forward to Summer. Wellsummer is characterized by the making and hanging of beautiful colored flags, colors that will be seen all throughout the mountains during the summer months. They are hung from the towers of Wellwinter, or the remains thereof, and strung to nearby trees or buildings. The festival also includes great bonfires and the roasting of the fattest of the mountain cattle. At each festival, it is customary to say, "Wellwinter the Gods!" and "Wellsummer the Gods" to one another in celebration of the holiday.